


Pen, Paper and Distance

by sleepynisshi



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Homesickness, Letters, Long-Distance Relationship, Love Letters, M/M, Platonic Relationships, Shared experiences, ant and sam being two homies watching the sunset, ant and velvet being long-distance boyfriends, non-canon backstory, specifically platonic ant and sam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 03:01:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28806255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepynisshi/pseuds/sleepynisshi
Summary: Ant misses home, and Sam's there to talk.
Relationships: Antfrost & Sam | Awesamdude, Antfrost/VelvetIsCake (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 57





	Pen, Paper and Distance

**Author's Note:**

> the badlands are so good and i need more content of calm moments between them :""0  
> like my last fic, this is pretty personal. i hope you enjoy reading it :D

Antfrost sat down on the edge of Eret's watch tower, training his eyes on the setting sun. He let out a sigh. It was the end of another busy day of battle prep, political discussions and sanctuary work. It's been months since he had first set foot onto the Dream SMP, months longer since he set off on his own away from his village. With the constant state of unrest and the recent Egg-related disturbances within the Badlands, to say he was homesick would be an understatement. He deeply missed his old idyllic life, and if it weren't for his curiosity towards what's over the horizon, he would have never left.  
  
Nonetheless, he packed his bags, set his sights forward and got himself wrapped up in... whatever major conflict is going on at the moment.  
  
To make matters worse, he'd stopped writing to home - he had no time for it, he told himself, and he wouldn't want his boyfriend to know what sort of danger he's put himself into.  
  
_His boyfriend._ He could never forget Velvet's face the night they parted. His usual confident smirk and cocky gaze was replaced with a pinched smile and tearful, choked-back whispers. It had been the first time Ant had heard Velvet's voice quiver, the first time he'd had to smooth the worried creases out of his face instead of vice-versa. They had made a promise, before Ant had lost the reception to Velvet's communicator - they swore that they would never say goodbye, that one day, they'd see each other again, no matter what. Until then they'd write to each other, soothing each other's doubts and making sure their other pair was safe.  
  
It had now been a week and 5 days since Ant had received the last letter Velvet had sent, left open on the single table he had in his base, a reminder that Ant hasn't been doing good on that promise. Usually he responds right as he reaches the last line in the letter - this time it was _Your Little Pogchamp Forever, VelvetisCake_ \- but now he'd been pondering why he would put off responding for this long.  
  
Maybe it was the nature of what he'd been doing - he wouldn't want to worry Velvet with the knowledge that Ant had put himself in danger on purpose, knowing the unease Velvet had relayed through ink in the first weeks of his absence. Maybe, though irrational, he was afraid Velvet would think lesser of him, that he would read about the wars, the power struggles, the conflicts that Ant had seen unfold with his own eyes, and he'd receive a letter with the word "goodbye" written in Velvet's handwriting. Maybe he was scared of the possibility of losing him, scared of the possibility that the distance between them had finally caught up to their relationship.  
  
He was jostled back to reality when his drooping ears pricked up, hearing a familiar voice. "There you are, I could hear you thinkin' from the Prime Path."  
  
He turned towards the voice, now face-to-face with Sam, his fellow Badlander. Ant had barely heard him enter the roof of the tower. _M_ _aybe I was thinking pretty loud,_ he mused to himself.  
  
"Good evening, Sam," Ant greeted him back, voice small and strained.  
  
Ant saw that Sam had been working hard all day, fingers and clothes heavily tinged with Redstone. It was pretty hard to decipher Sam's expressions behind the creeper mask, but by the way his lips turned down, Ant could tell he was concerned about him.  
  
"Mind if I sit with you up here?"  
"Not at all." Ant shuffled sideways, making space for Sam, who sat dangling his legs off the ledge. They shared a silent moment, watching the sunset together, before Sam decided to speak.  
  
"What's on your mind?"  
It's a question Ant was hesitant to answer. He and Sam are good friends and comrades-in-arms, sure, but would Sam mind if he suddenly poured all the worries bouncing around in his head out to him? He massaged the pads on his fingers and palm, contemplating what he should say. Sam seemed to note the nervousness in his actions, and exhaled, unclasping his mask off of his face.  
  
"It's okay, it's a pretty loaded question," he said, lightly, "but you can tell me, if you need to. I'm always here."  
  
Ant notes the supportive look behind Sam's eyes. _He's offering help, even now, after such a busy day?_ He wondered, briefly, about what sort of miracles the man had carried out in his past life for him to be reborn as such a nice, dependable person. He decided to trust Sam, if only to ground himself before he spiraled through his thoughts any longer.  
  
"I think I'm feeling homesick," he said, giving Sam a nervous glance. Sam nods encouragingly, and the weight in Ant's heart is lifted, little by little, the more he speaks about his troubles.  
  
Ant told him about his old life, his village, his travels, the letters. He told Sam about Velvet, his dear Velvet, and how he'd been dreading to tell him about how much he's experienced within this foreign land, how much fighting and destruction he's seen. He told Sam he's scared, that Velvet might love him less because of the changes brought by distance.  
  
Sam listened to Ant, waiting for him to voice out all his frustrations, giving him a patient smile once he sighed in finality at Sam's direction. Ant was thankful that he listened to him ramble until the sun was barely peeking out of the horizon, but he couldn't help but feel awkward when a beat of silence passes between them. _Had I said too much?_  
  
The thought doesn't last long, Sam breaking the silence once again.  
  
"Thank you for telling me," he says, earning a look of relief from Ant. " I've had similar experiences when I first got here. I can tell you about it, if it's alright with you."  
  
Ant nods and ponders over his words. "You have a secret distant lover?"  
  
Sam laughs, tired but heartily. "Not exactly secret, and not dating, but yeah, I have a loved one who I'd promised to write to once in a while. It was hard, keeping up with the constant changes within the SMP, and more times than once I had missed the chance to answer her before she got worried about me." A regretful look danced across his face. "I remember a point in time I'd been so wrapped up in a build that I'd completely forgotten all about writing. The guilt I'd felt when I read her second letter was insane."  
  
"Did you write her back?"  
  
Sam's gaze softens. "'Course I did. I made sure to tell her everything I'd done, positive and negative, how I'd been feeling and how much I missed her. I'd told her I might need more time between replies- had a hard time admitting it, but it was the least I could do to reassure her."  
  
Ant wrings his hands together, curiosity overtaking his worry. "And how did she react?"  
  
Sam exhales, nostalgia and joy tinging his tone. "She said she was proud of me. That it took courage to admit that I'd done things I wasn't proud of, and that she was glad that I trusted her enough to admit that I needed to make some changes. No matter what I'd done, whether I make mistakes or need to take some time off between replies, she'd trust me, and love me no matter what."  
  
Sam looks over to him after he speaks, voice wavering slightly. "Sorry. I just... want you to know you're not alone here."  
  
Ant felt his heart grow warm, knowing Sam trusted him enough to tell him his story. It was Ant's turn to show Sam patience, grasping his hand in reassurance for the both of them. "Thank you, Sam. I'm grateful that you'd sit and listen to me ramble, and it means a whole lot to me, knowing I have someone to relate to."  
  
Sam smiles at him, more confidently this time. The sun had set almost fully now, traces of red and purple barely visible behind the cobblestone structures, casting shadows over what was once L'manburg. The pair spent the rest of the night in comfortable, friendly banter, dangling their feet idly off the tower's ledge.  
  
A morning later, Ant glanced over the table at his base. The worry started to sink into his mind again, but Sam's words helped bring him back down to earth. He loves Velvet, and he knows Velvet loves him back just as much, no matter what. He would have to tell Velvet everything, including what he's done, how he feels and what changes he might need. He would have to trust that Velvet would reply with understanding, and if goodbye was what he needed, Ant would try to take it in stride.  
  
With shaky hands and a newfound vigor, Ant puts pen to paper and starts writing again.

**Author's Note:**

> a clarification: the loved one sam speaks about in this fic is awesammom :DD  
> i hope you enjoyed it, this is the second time i'm writing,, anything really and i like it even though it's sorta ooc,,  
> my socials are lavenisshi on twitter and instagram, if you want to tell me what you think! thank you sm for reading!


End file.
